Once upon a time, Salem’s Lot was going to movie theaters—but now the latest Stephen King adaptation is coming home for the holiday (Halloween, obviously). This one has quite the horror pedigree, hailing from writer-director Gary Dauberman, who co-wrote It and a handful of films in the Conjuring cinematic universe. James Wan, of Saw, Insidious, and Conjuring series fame, is among the producers.
Salem’s Lot is the story of a writer, Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman), who returns to his hometown to work on his next book—only to find the town at the mercy of a nasty vampire. There’s a beautiful and spooky old house, and some creepy children; people are killed in terrible and creative ways.
Salem’s Lot was previously adapted as a miniseries in 1979, and again in 2004, and the 2021 series Chapelwaite was based on King’s short story “Jerusalem’s Lot,” a prequel to the novel. In honor of that series, Mark Benedict took a look back at the long life of Salem’s Lot in “Vampires on Main Street: A Complete Guide to ’Salem’s Lot.”
Along with Pullman, Max’s version stars Alfre Woodard, Makenzie Leigh, Bill Camp, Spencer Treat Clark, Pilou Asbæk, and John Benjamin Hickey. Salem’s Lot premieres October 3rd on Max.
